Welcome Back Centennial Academy!

Yesterday was the first day of school for our students over at Centennial Academy. Centennial is beginning its second year as the district’s first conversion charter school in APS, expanding this school year to serve grades kindergarten through 7^th.

I stopped in to visit with veteran principal Allison Shelton who was busy making the rounds and ensuring the safety and comfort of her students and staff. With 720 students present on their first day, the school was buzzing with excitement. Students were learning how to transition between classes and participating in team building activities.  The 7^th graders looked sharp in their new black uniform shirts.

Principal Shelton took me on a tour of her hot spots within the school and showed me a few facilities issues she was working on and we discussed how they would be fixed and timeline in which they would be addressed.  While these issues may not seem to directly impact academics, a comfortable learning environment that is clean and ready to go on Day One directly impacts the ability for students to learn and teachers to teach.

We stopped by the cafeteria to check out what was on the lunch menu and I tasted the spaghetti, wheat rolls and grilled cheese, all of which were very tasty. The broccoli…well, I think we still need to work on that broccoli. I’ve already reached out to our nutrition department with a few ideas.

Welcome back to our friends at Centennial Academy. I hope you all have a phenomenal school year.